Taking water cuttings of pelargoniums
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Plants and Bulbs | 11 comments
The kitchen is sweet with the smell of lemon scented geraniums. I finally hoicked out our two giant 3.5 feet plants and put them in the greenhouse. We are hoping that they will survive the winter and delight us again next summer. We are planning to plant them in the half barrels either side of the front door.
I rarely take cuttings but this year we have taken quite a few from the scented geraniums. We are hoping that we have discovered a giant strain. The cuttings are insurance.
Years ago, Bunty taught me how to take water cuttings. I have most luck with this method. I think that the main reason for this is that the cuttings live on the kitchen windowsill and don’t get forgotten down in the greenhouse.
The method is simple. Take 4 inch long cuttings, clipping with secateurs or a sharp knife just below a leaf joint. Remove the leaves on the stem leaving a few at the top of the cutting. Put the cuttings into large jars. Within a couple of weeks they will develop roots and leaves and can be potted on.
Our cuttings stand in large jam jars on the kitchen windowsill. I can see at a glance if they are developing roots and new leaves and are ready to be planted in individual pots.
Once they are potted up, I gave them a week or so to settle and then nip back the tips to encourage side shoots. Some cuttings are left in the house and the majority are shifted down to the greenhouse where they have access to far more light. Not all the cuttings will survive the winter in the greenhouse so I have taken more than we need. Any surplus will make great presents in the spring.
Leave a reply
You could try both methods Ruth, see which is the best for the particular plant.
I was told that if you haven’t got rooting powder, wallpaper paste or dipped in custard powder works just as good!
I haven’t tried it, I use the water method, that way you can see the roots developing.
I have planted cutting straight in to potting compost when they’ve been from ‘wind damaged plants’ and they’ve taken, trial and error.
Good luck with them.
Odelle.
Hi all,
Can I ask a question? I took some cuttings from a plant in my grandads garden…I was going to place them in a jar of water to bring the roots on. My question is will it work? or do I need to know what plant it is to know which way is best to bring it on? e.g. hormone compound and light compost.
Thanks.
Ruth
Please can anyone give me some advice on ‘yellow,scented Jasmine palnts’ please, they have been growing away in two tubs for a good few years now,I forgot what they were until this year they flourished and produced masses of beautiful,gently scented flower, it was only then I realised what these lush plants were.
The problem is I’ve no idea of what to do with them now…do I cut them back,leave well alone,re-pot in spring(they must be rootbound by now),any ideas would be very welcome.
Many thanks Odelle X
Hi Kate(uk)
Thanks for dropping by with your reassuring tips. So pleased that our giant geraniums are toughies, although I’ll use a fleece if it gets very cold in the greenhouse and keep them dry.
Good luck with the big geraniums- keep them dry and wrap in fleece if it gets chilly. I managed to overwinter some outside just wrapped in a couple of layers of fleece against a warm wall and under a garden table for several winters when we were in Holland without a greenhouse. Take a few cuttings from them just in case.The one in your photo is a toughie!
Hi Kate(UK),
This is good news as perhaps our giant specimens will survive the winter in the unheated greenhouse. We do light the paraffin heater if temps are likely to go below 5 degrees.
I love these scented geraniums. By the end of the summer they have become friends. Hopefully we have the old varieties here!
Thanks for dropping by, always appreciate your comments.
I’ve found that most of the older scented leaved varieties will withstand cold down to 5 degrees as long as they are on the dry side- you can let them dry out completely over the winter, then water in spring and the new shoots appear.I’ve kept plants for years this way, though as they get very woody they aren’t so good for cuttings until very late in the year and get too woody for their own good after about three summers and winters. More modern varieties seem to be much less hardy, so try the old ones first. I love scented leaved and species perlagoniums, lovely leaf shapes and smells!
Hi Celia,
The scented leaved geraniums are my favourites, although the flowers are poor. I love the burgundy pelargoniums, hard to find around here. My mum grew her own one year so perhaps I might try some next year.
Hi Amanda,
We had the giant ones in a vast pot outside the back door and brushed against them as we went into the garden. The smell was wonderful.
I love the smell of lemon scented geraniums.
Excellent tip Fiona. A reminder to get my precious collection of scented leaved geraniums safely into the green house and an easy peasy propogation technique. And very timely as Cliff removed a leylandii at the weekend and before he could shout “TIMBER!!!” it cashed down onto a container of burgundy flowered pelargoniums – I’ll retrieve the remains and get them in a vase right now!